Discussion 03: Group Development & Therapeutic Factors
Please note: In order to successfully complete the program, you must respond to this post. Your comment/response should answer the questions/show that you completed the given activity (if any). Read the post carefully and implement the learning in the chat rooms. If you didn't participate in Discussion 02: Building a Group, then check here!
Welcome back, crew!! It is good to see you again to take another step to learn and progress! Keep going!!
We’ve been talking about group building in the last discussion. But, in order to stay on track is to develop the group you built and ensure the therapeutic factors are utilized effectively to maintain group support success.
There are two parts to this discussion:
- Group Development
- Therapeutic Factors
Group Development: It is identified that there are 4 stages of a group once built.
Each stage has its own needs and goals that must be addressed as the group progresses through each stage. The role of the group facilitator and group members also changes as the group progresses.
All groups are progressive and unique. You cannot compare the development of the Relationship Support Room with Depression Support or any other chat room. Some groups would experience and gain a lot and some may not. That’s why the success of a group depends on how the leader leads & supports the group and how the group members participate.
Second, therapeutic factors.
To develop the group, therapeutic factors play a significant role. Dr. Irvin D. Yalom conducted research and outlined the key therapeutic principles derived from it.
- Instills hope: The group contains members at different stages of their struggle or challenges. And, seeing people who are coping or recovering gives hope to those at the beginning of the process. It is a reminder to them that they are not alone and they can also progress by taking the required steps.
- Universality: Being part of a group of people who have the same experiences helps people see that what they are going through is universal and that they are not alone. They develop a sense of belonging and feeling of part of the community.
- Imparting information: They can help each other by sharing information, stories to develop a connection, and a healthy discussion.
- Altruism: They can share their strengths and help others in the group, which can boost self-esteem and confidence. It allows them to have the courage to take steps to progress.
- The corrective recapitulation of the primary family group: The group is a sort of family. Within the group, each member can explore how different experiences contributed to personality and behavioral changes. They can also learn to avoid behaviors that are destructive or unhelpful for them.
- Development of socialization techniques: The group setting is a great place to practice new behaviors. The setting is safe and supportive, allowing group members to experiment without the fear of failure. Develop a sense of accountability and celebrate small and big wins to boost confidence.
- Imitative behavior: Each individual can model the behavior of other members of the group or observe and imitate the behavior of the leader to develop the same qualities or skills in order to develop and grow.
- Interpersonal learning: By interacting regularly with other individuals of the group and receiving feedback from the group or the facilitator, members can become more self-aware and develop self-love and esteem as well.
- Group cohesiveness: As there is a common goal, members gain a sense of belonging and community feeling.
- Existential factors: While interacting with the group and gaining support and feedback. They also learn they are responsible for their own lives, actions, and choices. They could progress by taking charge of it and making better decisions.
A therapeutic factor is an element of a group that potentially benefits one or more individuals in the group. A reminder that all therapeutic factors mentioned in this discussion shouldn’t be assumed to have the same impact on all but it should investigate their impact on different members of the group. Overall, it is helpful and keys for effective group development.
Discussion: Share your experience of how you applied one of the Yalom Therapeutic Factors in the Group Support Room.
Activity: Respond to at least two of your fellow trainees' comments with thoughts on their share.
After fulfilling the requirements of this post, please check out the next discussion here! Ensure to implement the learning from these discussions in the chat rooms to build and support the group. You must take part in the brainstorming/activities given in all of these discussions to successfully complete the program.
I would go with Group cohesiveness: As there is a common goal, members gain a sense of belonging and community feeling.
LSR has been supporting listeners which is a common goal in the room. Supporting listeners on their listener journey is the first priority in the room and letting other listeners know that they aren't alone in the journey and make them feel included in the community.
@BlueRivercares I think that your observation about LSR is correct. Most of the time they come there a thinking that they aren't doing good enough. The steps that were mentioned above. You have to show that you understand the situation. But you have to use empathy instead of it being sympathy. You also have to show encouragement especially the listeners that are new.
@BlueRivercares
That's a very good thought.
@BlueRivercares
That sounds very wise
@BlueRivercares
I agree.
@ASilentObserver
Discussion: Share your experience of applying one of the Yalom Therapeutic Factors in the Group Support Room.
I joined the 24-hour support room and noticed chaos. At first, I was intimidated by the 20+ attendance and lack of direction. So I started slow. I addressed one or two people sharing their experiences at a time. This ‘transitional’ phase was to show that the participants were heard, accepted and understood without judgment. I noticed a general shift in comments from all members, and some common themes started to develop. As I recognized the common themes, I posted discussion questions such as “so and so has had this experience, and I can relate; can anyone else relate to this?” this worked well as the common themes were very general, such as becoming overwhelmed, or finding ones self-feeling like its difficult to return to “normal” post-pandemic. I am so proud that I could lead the group to this “working phase.” I feel like many members explored their emotions and challenged beliefs surrounding societal expectations. The group gave feedback, and some members even made personal goals to reflect on our learning. In this final stage, we all were relieved that we had this experience together. I received positive feedback, and some members even contacted me for further listening 1:1. I am very proud of this experience.
@broadfemmelovelive
Discussion: Share your experience of applying one of the Yalom Therapeutic Factors in the Group Support Room.
@ASilentObserver @DonaldK
Hey Donald,
We're taking this program simultaneously; please feel free to PM me as a fellow trainee.
The way I looked at the discussion question was to pick one of Dr. Irvin D. Yalom's principles listed in the discussion and then relate it to how our experience in the group chats.
I see your answer describes a few of the principles that Dr. Yalom talked about. First, instills hope; as you told your experience with a mother and her blind child, I was reminded how having an empathetic and welcoming listener in a room who can relate to the challenges of this situation would inevitably lead those who participate to feel hopeful.
Second, imparting information, as you described brainstorming support options for this situation. We must always frame information sharing as available options and never a singular path or "answer" to keep with best practice guidelines on 7 Cups. However, I'm sure you have many valuable insights into how a mother may best support her child with disabilities.
Third, although you didn't expressly state it: group cohesiveness could be mentioned when you spoke about reaching out to others and making sure they are heard, especially in the context of living with a disability I know that this lends to feelings of belonging and being understood.
I hope this helps explain how the discussion question was asked. I appreciated the experience and knowledge that you brought to this discussion.
Take care, Louisa
@broadfemmelovelive this makes me wonder if I'm going to pass the program it looks like I'm going to but I didn't use the terminologies well. I think your thorough reply was very well said.
@DonaldK Hey, Donald, I just wanted to reach out and commend you for revitalizing the disAbility support discussions. Unfortunately, I can't attend at the times you run discussions, but I'm really happy to see this being revitalized. You will notice I'm using disAbility with a capital A for Ability. That's because our department at university is named disAbility Studies because the emphasis is on our Abilities! Each one of us is Capable of so much!
@broadfemmelovelive
Through this experience, I instilled a sense of Universality as the members could see their shared experiences as a group. Seeing people share more was lovely since they were not alone. I loved the camaraderie this led to in figuring out solutions to everyday struggles.
I am looking forward to my next group chat.
@broadfemmelovelive
Well done!
@broadfemmelovelive This is great! Good job!! It sounds like you helped a lot in there
@beck1
Thank you Beck; this was a thread about Donald's experience. But I appreciate the response :)
@broadfemmelovelive Louisa, I'm really happy to read your comment that indicates that you brought a room from chaos to a sense of therapeutic effect. Sometimes, just a gentle, continuous presence can make a huge difference in what the "tone" of a room becomes, and how it can transform to one that is therapeutic and helpful. I liked your entry because of that. And, I applaud you for pulling it off!
@VioletVeritas
:)
@ASilentObserver
I applied one of the Yalom therapeutic factor in a group support room by spreading hope and encouragement in a room through affirmation reflection qoute sessions and even by trying to validating and motivating members in rooms.
@Healingbeams This is so awesome. Great work!!
@ASilentObserver
Universality
I have tried to apply this in the groups that I help out in. In the disability support room, for example, when someone is sharing about their personal experience of being let down by healthcare, while supporting that member, I also ask if anyone else in the group has experienced similar. Usually this starts a discussion and can help the original member to feel less alone in their battles.
@beck1
That's great! Helping each other is sooo good. ❤
@beck1
I love this. It's really important to help people see that they aren't alone in their struggles, no matter how much it feels like it.
@ASilentObserver
So, I chose the first factor, instills hope.
Instills hope: The group contains members at different stages of their struggle or challenges. And, seeing people who are coping or recovering gives hope to those at the beginning of the process. It is a reminder to them that they are not alone and they can also progress by taking the required steps.
My reflection on "instills hope" is that because I'm facilitating Adult Member Sharing Circles, and many of them are filled with newly arriving members, some who may be arriving in a distressed state, that the person, by having the chance to witness others and their shares, and how they perhaps progressed from when they first joined a Sharing Circle, might start to feel a sense of hope themselves, that this kind of progress may be possible for them as well. I also chose "instills hope" because in the judgement free zone of the Sharing Circles, people are cheered no matter what stage of distress they are in (I suppose with the exception of extreme crisis). Just the fact of having an audience of people who are saying things like: Way to go! You got this! One day at a time! can help instill a feeling of hope.
@VioletVeritas I try to do this aswell
@VioletVeritas, I agree that compassion and encouragement are central to the group setting. They go a long way and help even if we have not been in their shoes.
Discussion: Share your experience of how you applied one of the Yalom Therapeutic Factors in the Group Support Room.
@ASilentObserver I would actually like to add another comment, that I find this to be the most valuable discussion, actually, the therapeutic factors. It's really what makes the group setting valuable. I was trying to put my finger on why there was a difference between the groups and the individual listening phenomena, and, while efficiency is probably part of it, there are also these other factors that make the group setting valuable. Thank you for posting this and for the whole series. It's very interesting.
@VioletVeritas
I agreed with you! ❤ You're right, very helpful discussion.
@ASilentObserver
Share your experience of how you applied one of the Yalom Therapeutic Factors in the Group Support Room.
1.Imparting informations
There are members from different stages and they have different problems. But some people may have similar problems for a example lots of students have academic stress, no matter which stage they are in. So the people with similar problems can share their opinions about the problem and coping mechanisms they using. And others can decide whether those methods will help them or not. And they can feel motivated and confident to solve the problems because they know they are not alone. People with dissimilar problems also can explore new problems and how to face them, because that can be helpful in future. Together as a group members can help each other.
@Tobedoctor, sharing coping mechanisms is something I did not mention in my post before. It can indeed be very helpful! I also try to share the Cups self help guides when appropriate.
@ASilentObserver
Share your experience of how you applied one of the Yalom Therapeutic Factors in the Group Support Room.
Instills hope: The group contains members at different stages of their struggle or challenges. And, seeing people who are coping or recovering gives hope to those at the beginning of the process. It is a reminder to them that they are not alone and they can also progress by taking the required steps.
I will talk about the Sharing Circle. A Sharing Circle lasts for an hour. Many participants stay for an entire Sharing Circle or at least for a long time, partially because they have to wait in a queue.
Members take turns to share. They are supported by validating and empathic comments of the host and participants. Members are also able to briefly share similar experiences of their own in a short discussion phase after each share.
There are regulars who share weekly or even every day. Their progress and its challenges are visible to those who return. Some members share for the first time. Some are highly distressed. Others have gone through similar struggles and are at another point of their journey.
Observing the progress of others and hearing them express that they have gone through similar issues and managed to get past them is highly encouraging as long as they do not feel patronized or belittled (which happens very rarely and should be prevented by the host). It creates the feeling of everyone being part of a group that shares struggles and is on a path of betterment. It instills hope and gives the strength to go on.
I believe that this is one of the key elements of Sharing Circles and the biggest argument for having them regularly and ideally continuously as we have them now on the adult side. It is also the reason for giving sufficient time for free talk after each share.
@MagnificentSunrise wow yes I agree
@ASilentObserver
one of the factors I have applied is universality, whereby I tell and show members that whatever they are experiencing they are not alone, and that this too shall pass as there are other people who have experienced this and managed to overcome that, hopefully they will too
@SoothingHope wow yes I agree
